Performing Arts

Having been a musician for over 15yrs, I know how demanding playing can be on the body. It’s a passionate activity and as such will also have its challenges.  I have met many who have experienced issues: drummers with bad backs, shoulders and necks, violinists with stiff necks and shoulders, guitar players with forearm, wrist and shoulder pains, sometimes more long-term problems such as focal dystonia. And the list goes on.

Just as everyone has their own way of walking and moving, every musician will have their own way of playing their instrument and over time this repetition can cause frustrating problems. Many of these are ignored and worsen, but treated properly and effectively they can be repaired for good.

Touring musicians will often see a massage therapist pre or post show, or on a non-performance day, for a wide variety of reasons including those mentioned above. We generally won’t hear of it publicly because it’s not rock ‘n’ roll, but it’s a fact acknowledged in the industry and it is widely used.

Let’s also not forget the important people who work with touring musicians and bands; roadies constantly loading & packing down, sound & lighting techs hunched over desks and other operating equipment in interesting spaces, tour managers and other production staff rushing around to keep things running smoothly.

The stresses, both physical and psychological, can all be helped through sports massage and an individual assessment to assess and correct repetitive movements, making you feel better and preventing problems occurring or worsening.

Dancers work their bodies as hard as any sportsperson. There are a variety of types of dancing, but any involving excessive head, arm and hip movements can lead to issues both short and long term if not treated correctly. The back, knees and ankles are also victims of heavy work on a hard floor, over-stretching or hyper-extending. Because of all this, specific muscles will be working hard to stabilise their surrounding joints.

There’s often a tricky balance to strike between muscular strength and flexibility. Both are incredibly important in dancing, but whilst muscular flexibility can help technique, too much can mean you’re vulnerable to injury. There’s also the problem that dancers need a good line, so don’t want to look too bulky, whilst needing that muscular strength to support the joints.

Sports Massage Therapy and passive stretching can really help these problems by releasing tension in and around the joints, improving flexibility, range of motion and posture, whilst also speeding up the natural recovery of the body. I can help you avoid injury and give your body some much needed relief and relaxation in the right places.